Comments on photo of Worcester residents go beyond snarky

A picture may be worth 1,000 words, but some should be kept to ourselves.

On Friday morning, a frightening scene unfolded on Barclay Street after a resident discovered a pipe bomb on his SUV, at a home that had been struck by bullets hours earlier. The device was detonated by state police and no one was injured.

Monday, this newspaper published a story on telegram.com about the recent spike in city violence. Accompanying the story was a photo of Barclay Street residents watching from across the street as police detonated the bomb. Ten adults and a toddler were pictured. Some were on their cellphones. Attire ranged from casual to sloppy.

One of the men was overweight. An older woman holding the hand of the toddler was also overweight. Suffice it to say that none of them appeared headed to their seat on the Stock Exchange.

By Monday afternoon, the story had attracted 57 online comments. The first one, posted at 6:49 a.m., set the tone for the rest.

"All one needs to do is look at this fine example of the citizens that your elected officials are welcoming to the once fine city of Worcester and you will see why things are becoming the way they are," the poster wrote. Thirty-five readers agreed with the comment, while only nine disagreed.

But wait — the people in the photograph had committed no crime. They were simply spectators to a crime, and the likely victims of an inner-city neighborhood plagued by gang violence.

No matter. Nor did it matter that only two of the 10 adults were noticeably overweight, or that many of us might be similarly dressed if roused from our homes at 10:30 in the morning.

Some of the posters demanded to know why these people weren't at work. Several surmised that the taxpayers were paying for their cellphones. And yeah — Obama blah blah blah.

"The Obama mentality of 'free' or subsidized goods is why we have a nation of lazy, obese, and entitlement seeking people," opined a reader. Another wondered, "One must take a look at these members of society living in 'poverty' and wonder why they do not look like they are starving. How are they eating so well if they do not have any money?" The latter comment sparked a mini-debate about poor people and nutrition.

Only a handful of readers commented about the uptick in city crime or violence. Just a few defended the people in the picture and expressed dismay with the ugly responses.

Now, I'm aware that the Internet has created a population of nasty, anonymous trolls who purposely sow hatred and bigotry. And I realize that many middle-class Americans have had it with the welfare state.

Clearly, though, the majority of these posters aren't trolls. So I have to wonder: when did we become such a sneering pack of judgmental jerks? The snark in the comments was stunning. Does it make people feel better about themselves to ridicule those less fortunate? What happened to empathy?

The subjects in this photograph did nothing to deserve such blind disdain. Yes, they live in a poor neighborhood. Lots of law-abiding people do. We know nothing about their lives, their challenges, their hopes.

When I read these comments, I feel embarrassed for our city. But I tell myself that the majority of Worcester residents are decent people who feel nothing like the anonymous haters who ooze such venom and bile.